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http://sg.news.yahoo.com/040727/3/3lzn7.html
By Claude Canellas
BORDEAUX, France (Reuters) - A French court has annulled France's first gay marriage, setting a legal precedent for outlawing same-sex marriages that came down on the side of the conservative government.
The government had already declared the marriage invalid and suspended the mayor who conducted it on June 5 in the Bordeaux suburb of Begles. The court ruling was a blow for opposition politicians who want to make gay marriages legal.
"The tribunal declared null and void the marriage between Mr. Stephane Chapi
and Mr. Bertrand Charpentier," the court in Bordeaux, the main city near Begles, said in its ruling.
Chapin, a 33-year-old home care worker, and Charpentier, a 31-year-old shop worker, said th
ey would appeal against the ruling and take their fight to the European Court of Human Rig
hts if necessary.
snip
The couple's lawyer, Emmanuel Pierrat, said the court had based its ruling on the argument that marriage is traditionally considered the foundation of the family and that one of its main functions is to have children.
He said the couple remained legally married pending their appeal.
PRESSURE FROM ABOVE
SNIP
Mamere, a Green member of parliament who is waging a battle against traditional family values, said he was not surprised by the court's decision.
"It would have been a revolution if the ruling had gone the other way because the judges came under pressure from the authorities to make an adventurous interpretation of the
civil code," Mamere said.
The marriage stirred controversy in France, where the law allows civil unions between homosexuals although gays say this puts them at a disadvantage in terms of tax
, inheritance and adoption rights.
Gay rights activists had hailed the marriage as a victory for tolerance and it was welcomed by oppo
sition politicians who have promised to push for a pro-gay marriage law.
A recent survey by Elle magazine showed 64 percent of French people were in favour of same-sex weddings.
But conservative critics denounced the ceremony as an attack on the sanctity of marriage and Mamere's political foes dismissed it as a political stunt.
Members of President Jacques Chirac's ruling conservative party, Roman Catholic church leaders and some opposition Socialists have said children need a mother and a father and that the issue was too serious to be discussed in a hurry.
The issue of gay weddings has caused controversy in other countries, inclu
ding the United States, where President George W. Bush wants a constitutional ban on same-sex marriages.
Belgium, the Netherlands the U.S. state of Massachusetts and three Canadian provinces
have legalised gay marriage. Spain's new Socialist government plans to present a draft law on same-sex marriages in September.
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I have removed two small portions of this post as it is copyrighted by Reuters
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By Claude Canellas
BORDEAUX, France (Reuters) - A French court has annulled France's first gay marriage, setting a legal precedent for outlawing same-sex marriages that came down on the side of the conservative government.
The government had already declared the marriage invalid and suspended the mayor who conducted it on June 5 in the Bordeaux suburb of Begles. The court ruling was a blow for opposition politicians who want to make gay marriages legal.
"The tribunal declared null and void the marriage between Mr. Stephane Chapi
and Mr. Bertrand Charpentier," the court in Bordeaux, the main city near Begles, said in its ruling.
Chapin, a 33-year-old home care worker, and Charpentier, a 31-year-old shop worker, said th
ey would appeal against the ruling and take their fight to the European Court of Human Rig
hts if necessary.
snip
The couple's lawyer, Emmanuel Pierrat, said the court had based its ruling on the argument that marriage is traditionally considered the foundation of the family and that one of its main functions is to have children.
He said the couple remained legally married pending their appeal.
PRESSURE FROM ABOVE
SNIP
Mamere, a Green member of parliament who is waging a battle against traditional family values, said he was not surprised by the court's decision.
"It would have been a revolution if the ruling had gone the other way because the judges came under pressure from the authorities to make an adventurous interpretation of the
civil code," Mamere said.
The marriage stirred controversy in France, where the law allows civil unions between homosexuals although gays say this puts them at a disadvantage in terms of tax
, inheritance and adoption rights.
Gay rights activists had hailed the marriage as a victory for tolerance and it was welcomed by oppo
sition politicians who have promised to push for a pro-gay marriage law.
A recent survey by Elle magazine showed 64 percent of French people were in favour of same-sex weddings.
But conservative critics denounced the ceremony as an attack on the sanctity of marriage and Mamere's political foes dismissed it as a political stunt.
Members of President Jacques Chirac's ruling conservative party, Roman Catholic church leaders and some opposition Socialists have said children need a mother and a father and that the issue was too serious to be discussed in a hurry.
The issue of gay weddings has caused controversy in other countries, inclu
ding the United States, where President George W. Bush wants a constitutional ban on same-sex marriages.
Belgium, the Netherlands the U.S. state of Massachusetts and three Canadian provinces
have legalised gay marriage. Spain's new Socialist government plans to present a draft law on same-sex marriages in September.
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I have removed two small portions of this post as it is copyrighted by Reuters
S.